English Dictionary (Humor) beta

Summons A document that legally orders someone to appear in court or attend a meeting.  ■ Judge Smith issued a summons for John Doe to appear in court for speeding charges. When John failed to show up, the judge sent him a stern warning: "Next time I see you in my courtroom, I'll be issuing a summons that won't be so easy to ignore!"

anywhere A place where something or someone is likely to appear.  ■ He said he could meet me anywhere, but not here. I told him, "If you want to see me, go anywhere."

Appears A word used to describe someone or something that is likely to appear in the future.  ■ "I saw on my calendar that my boss is going to be appearing at the meeting tomorrow."

blurry A visual sensation in which objects appear out of focus or indistinct.  ■ John's homemade pasta sauce was so blurry, he had to serve it with a side of binoculars.

Come A verb meaning to move towards a particular place or person, or to appear or become present.  ■ I came to the party and saw my ex-girlfriend. I quickly left before she could see me coming!

cosmetic An elaborate and often unnecessary ornamentation used to make something appear more attractive.  ■ "I can't believe I spent so much money on this fancy cosmetic makeup - it doesn't even make me look better!"

dawned To suddenly appear or become apparent in the morning light.  ■ I woke up with a start as my alarm dawned, and I realized that I had overslept.

differ² A verb meaning "to be or appear to be different from someone or something in some way".  ■ "Why do you always choose the same sandwich every day? Don't you want to differ and try something new?"

emerges To appear suddenly and unexpectedly, often in a dramatic or impressive manner.  ■ When the sun rises over the horizon, it emerges with a blaze of glory, casting its golden light upon the land below.

Freshening A process of making something appear or feel cleaner, fresher, or more pleasant.  ■ "I decided to freshen up my room by vacuuming the carpet and lighting some candles. It's amazing how much better everything smells now!"

gracing The act of making something or someone appear more attractive, charming, or delightful than they really are.  ■ John's girlfriend graced the dance floor with her graceful moves and dazzling smile, making every man in the room swoon.

huffing The act of taking deep, rapid breaths while trying to appear calm and collected.  ■ "I was huffing when my boss walked into the room, but I quickly recovered and pretended like nothing was wrong."

immediately To act with the speed of light, or to appear to do so.  ■ "I'm immediately moving to Paris!" exclaimed the girl, who had never even been to Europe before.

intruded To enter or appear in someone's personal space without permission, often in an unwelcome manner.  ■ "I didn't realize my brother had already arrived until I caught him intruding on my dinner party!"

Launder To clean and make appear new or fresh, typically by removing dirt or stains.  ■ "I thought my socks were ruined, but I accidentally laundered them and now they look brand new!"

Laundered To make something appear clean and pure, often by hiding its true nature or origins.  ■ The politician's reputation was laundered after a scandal involving bribery and embezzlement.

mascara A thick, dark paste made from ground galena or other earth pigments, applied to the eyelashes to make them appear longer and fuller.  ■ "I can't go out without my mascara. It makes me look like a lash-crazed raccoon!"

pales To appear pale or sickly in color due to illness or lack of food.  ■ "I'm not paling yet, but after a few more hours on the couch with the flu I might."

Pegged Adjective to be or appear to be completely drunk or under the influence of drugs  ■ After downing several shots of tequila, John was so pegged he could barely stand.

pose To adopt a particular posture or attitude in order to appear more serious, important, or artistic.  ■ I can't believe she posed for the picture like that. It makes her look like a pretentious art student.

pretentious adjective Characterized by excessive or affected pretensions; attempting to appear more important or impressive than one actually is. bogus, insincere, haughty  ■ "I'm sorry, I can't eat this pretentious artisanal sandwich. It tastes like a piece of cardboard."

Recognizance The act of acknowledging and agreeing to appear in court if called upon.  ■ After being caught stealing a candy bar, the thief was released on recognizance.

shrunk To become small in size or to appear smaller than one's actual height.  ■ After a long day of eating pizza, I shrunk down to the size of a child.

Stilettos High-heeled shoes designed to make the wearer appear taller and more elegant.  ■ "I'm wearing my stilettos to the office, because nothing says 'professional' like standing on tippy-toes all day."

Subpoena A legal document that requires someone to appear in court or produce documents.  ■ When the detective subpoenaed the witness's phone records, it became clear he had a case against them.

subpoenaed To be summoned by authority to appear in court or answer a formal request.  ■After being subpoenaed, the witness reluctantly testified about their involvement in the crime.

Subtitles Words or phrases that appear on a film screen to provide translation or commentary.  ■ "I'm sorry, could you please turn off the subtitles? I want to experience this movie without any distractions."

Summon To call or order someone to appear before you, often with a sense of urgency or authority.  ■ "I'll summon my army at a moment's notice!" the evil sorcerer cackled, causing his minions to spring forth from the shadows.

surfaced to appear or become visible after being hidden or obscured for a while  ■ The conspiracy theory about the moon landing finally surfaced after 50 years of silence.

uncool Being inadequate, lacking style or charm  ■ The new employee's outdated wardrobe made them appear extremely uncool at the company's casual Friday event.

zombie¹ A person who is so dull and uninteresting that they appear to be dead.  ■ "She's such a zombie at work, I sometimes worry she might actually be one."

arrives A verb that means to appear or come into existence at a particular place or time, especially for the purpose of fulfilling an obligation or completing a task.  ■ "I promised my boss I would arrive on time every day, but today I had to go to the dentist and now I'm running late. I hope my boss doesn't kill me."

boosts A pair of high-top, oversized shoes with a distinctive design that makes the wearer appear tall and imposing.  ■ The gang decided to "boost" their confidence by wearing their boosts to the dance party. They were instantly the life of the party!

cheapen To make something seem or appear cheaper or of lower value than it actually is, often by using flattery or exaggerated praise.  ■ "I know he's a great guy, but he really cheapens himself when he brags about his car collection."

coloring The act of applying pigment to a surface with the intention of making it appear more vibrant and interesting.  ■ Mary loves coloring in her coloring books, but she's not very good at it. In fact, her attempts are so bad that they resemble a drunken painter on a bender.

conform To act or appear in accordance with a certain standard, law, or expectation.  ■ John decided to conform to the dress code of the office by wearing a tie and slacks, even though he had always been more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.

darken To make something appear black or dark, often as a metaphor for making someone or something seem evil or sinister.  ■ "After hearing the rumors about his past, the once-trusted employee was completely darkened in the eyes of the company."

Depend To be or appear to be unable to do something on one's own, and instead rely on someone else for help or support.  ■ "I can't even tie my shoes without depending on my mom to do it for me."

falsify to intentionally alter or misrepresent information in order to make it appear more favorable or accurate  ■ "I falsified my resume to get the job, but I couldn't keep up with the work and had to quit after a week."

Filming The act of capturing visual or audio content for use in a film.  ■ When the director yelled "cut!" during filming, everyone on set knew something went wrong., To engage in an activity with the intent to record it and make it appear as if it is happening in real-time.  ■ "I'm filming this meeting for posterity," said the boss, while secretly taping his employee's every move.

Framing The art of making something look good by surrounding it with something else that makes it appear better.  ■ "I knew I had to frame this picture perfectly, because if it wasn't framed properly, no one would ever notice how beautiful it really is."

Fudging To add or alter information in a misleading way, typically to make oneself appear more competent or knowledgeable than one actually is.  ■ "I'm pretty sure I got that math problem right. If not, I just fudged the answer a little."

ghost² A supernatural being that is said to appear to people, often as a way of warning them of danger or impending doom.  ■ "Watch your back!" I heard my friend say before he disappeared, leaving behind only the ghost of his laughter.

haunt A ghost or other supernatural being that is believed to appear and cause trouble to living people.  ■ "The haunting of the old mansion on the hill has been a local legend for years. People claim to have seen strange apparitions moving in the shadows at night."; To frequently visit or frequent a place, often with the intention of causing trouble or misbehaving.  ■ "He couldn't resist haunting his old high school every chance he got, sneaking into the empty halls and vandalizing the classrooms."

hypocritical adjective:<en></?><example>Being hypocritical means pretending to be something you're not in order to gain an advantage or to appear more virtuous than you actually are. Example: The politician was accused of being hypocritical for claiming to care about the environment while supporting policies that harmed it.</example>

magnify To make something appear larger than it actually is, usually by using a magnifying glass or other optical device.  ■ "I need to magnify this map to see where I'm going," said the blind man as he stumbled forward with his trusty magnifying glass.

nodules Small, lumpy growths that can appear on various parts of the body, often associated with diseases or conditions. Examples include pimples on the face, cysts in the ovaries, and tumors in the brain.  ■ "I never thought I would have to deal with nodules at this age, but alas, my hair is growing out in little lumps all over my scalp. It's like a garden of pain!"

oxymoron A figure of speech in which two apparently contradictory terms appear together.  ■ "Deafening silence" is an oxymoron because it combines the words "deaf," which means unable to hear, and "silence," which means the absence of sound. A funny example usage might be: "I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised."

persona A fictional character created to represent a real person or group of people. Often used in advertising and marketing to make the product appear more relatable to its target audience.  ■ "Meet Buzz Lightyear, the persona of NASA's space program."